Crystal Clear: A Human-Powered Methodology for Small Teams

The Agile Software Development Series

by Alistair Cockburn, Jim Highsmith (Series Editor)

This book introduces Crystal Clear, a better lightweight methodology forbuilding software. It describes the roles, teams, values, intentions, habits,activities, policies and work products of a small software development team forwhom time-to-market and development costs are critical considerations.Alistair Cockburn is one of the founders of the Agile software developmentmovement. He spells out proven best practices based on his extensiveexperience helping organizations build software quickly and with less cost. Theauthor understands that small teams cannot be burdened by "process-heavy"software methodologies. By advocating that developers stay close together andremain in steady, good-will communication with customers and users, thisbook teaches the reader how to develop software that not only does what it issupposed to do, but also gets completed on time and within budget.

Genres: Management, Software, Computer Science, Programming, Business, Leadership, Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published October 19, 2004

About the author

Alistair Cockburn is an American computer scientist, known as one of the initiators of the agile movement in software development. He cosigned (with 16 others) the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some aspects of this book were totally awesome. I love the basic methodology, the focus on communications, personal safety, reflection workshops, importance of keeping methods lightweight, etc. Unfortunately, the book suffers from a bit too much of trying to be something for everybody. Huge swaths of material were skimmable at best for me. For instance, examples of requirements documents and design diagrams. I've seen thousands of such examples and seeing new ones in this context provides nothing for me. Another example: reports relating to ISO certification. Another example: encyclopaedic categorization of all the possible work products, indexed by which team member role is supposed to produce them.

One more thing that I find perplexing about this book. The author shows a strong bias against using software tools to manage requirements documents and other work products, manage iterations, etc. I would be a full-on advocate of, for example, using a wiki. It's a searchable storage device on top of being a collaborative documentation tool. I'm constantly going back to old wiki pages and work tickets to look into the details of what was done. This is going to be a royal pain if the only documentation we have are cell phone pictures of what we once drew up on a whiteboard.

[Sami Poimala · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about the idea, that there should not be a methodology for a company - but a methodology for a project!
Depending on the project size and criticality, you should tailor the process that suits exactly that project. Of course, this isn't true on small projects but any project involving more than 10 developers and taking more than - say - 6 months to build, deserves a fit-for-the purpose methodology.

This book will give you ideas for that. Actually 'Clear' in the name means that the process is for small teams, so this book tries to give a some kind of sugegstions for one purpose, but all the time keeping in mind that you'll have to make the methodology to work for your project not the othe rway round.

[Todd Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on evidence gathered from successful small software development teams, Alistair's Crystal Clear describes an Agile methodology framework with great tolerance for a broad set of practices. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to know how small teams can *deliver* software rapidly, frequently, and successfully.

[André Gomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lot's of good ideas, simple and fast to read, goes directly to the point.

7 Properties:
1. Frequenty Delivery
2. Reflective Improvement
3. Osmotic Communication
4. Personal Safety
5. Focus
6. Easy Access to Expert Users
7. Technical environment with automated tests, configuration management, and frequent integration.

[Mark Wheeler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recommended to me by a former manager and I'm glad I read it. Common sense approach to running individual development teams that doesn't lean on any methodology apart from how people work. I found myself constantly saying outloud, whilst reading the book, "yes, yes ... exactly that makes sense!".
I could and will read this book many times.

[Otis Chandler]

If selly says so...

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

decent methodology, but it always comes down to theory vs. practice, doesn't it!?

[Russ · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Agile book, this was a good introduction to the Agile concepts. It drags a little (as technical books do) but the illustrations of the value of Agile are clear and understandable.

[Coby Randquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read Chapter 9 - if nothing else.

[James Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly I think it is a bit outdated. Agile methods are so new (relatively) that a book a few years old can be dated already. :(